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For many of us at ANFT, we feel a deep, innate sense of love and connection to trees- that is why we are in this work. But have you ever wondered where this deep love comes from? Is there clues in our ancestral past which point to this connection? Is there more to our love than just our personal experiencing with trees and the forest? Forest Therapy Guide and ANFT Staff member Denell Nawrocki answers some of these questions. Prompted for an Indigenous Medicine class for her graduate school program, Denell uncovered her ancestral connection to her love of trees and dove deep into historical connection of this reverence. We hope you find this piece intriguing and inspires you to dive into your own ancestral connection to your love of trees and nature.

When Trees Were Revered: The Celtic Tree Calendar & Alphabet

The Celtic Tree Calendar/Alphabet is traditionally known as the Ogham (pronounced oh-am).

The origins of this script is unknown, considering much of Druidic/Celtic tradition and wisdom was not physically preserved in texts or documents, and was essentially lost over time. What scholars do know comes from manuscripts and documents produced by outside sources who visited the Celts/Druids and recorded their own observations of the traditions and practices. Most of the recorded information came for secondary sources and modern recording of the oral traditions. Scholars do know the basic technical aspects and symbolism of the ancient script.

The Ogham script is made up of symbols of straight lines, known as flesc (flayshk), spaced along a central stemline.

Each symbol represents a particular letter, and each letter is named after a tree or plant, or after a natural element such as lightning or the sea.

The script seems to not have developed out of any earlier form of writing, but is individual in its own right. Most of the original Ogham inscriptions remaining today can be found on standing stone pillars throughout the United Kingdom. These ancient examples mainly describe names of past-loved ones or directions to a nearby town, but many historians believe the “Ogham was some sort of magical or secret script meant to be seen and used by the Druidic order” (Balmires). Whatever the origins and purpose of the Ogham, it remains as a tool of healing and divination for those who continue to practice traditional Druidic and Celtic traditions in modern times.

The fifteen Ogham letters are represented by fifteen different trees, and the corresponding calendar is based on the thirteen-month lunar calendar, which begins on November 1. Each month is characterized by a tree, which has special teachings, guides, totems and deities associated with each specific tree.

It is important to mention that all trees were revered as sacred wisdom keepers. The Druids are known for worshiping in sacred groves of trees, called the nemeton, and perhaps the Ogham script is representative of their divine connection with these tree spirits.

The Ogham Alphabet and associated Tree

The Ogham Calendar

The story of how these Tree guides came to be is as follows:

In Celtic tradition it was believed there were originally two powerful source energies that came to our planet, and these two energies spread their knowledge and essence in the form of spirits called dryads. Upon being spread throughout the Earth, the dryads made their homes in the trees and remained there, representing “a cosmic expression of the primeval archetypal essence” from which they came (Mountfort).

Each tree served as a portal into the “unseen realm” in which “totems, guides, and deities could be reached for instruction and healing” (Mountfort).

Sacred knowledge and guidance is transferred to individuals who seek guidance from the dryads residing in the different trees. In essence, trees serve as wisdom keepers and the entities which one turned to for direction, assistance, and answers to some of life’s mysteries.

A way in which individuals are able to practice and interact with the tree spirits is through divination with Ogham sticks made from branches of the trees represented in the Ogham. In order to begin working with the trees and their spirits, one must first go out and discover the trees in their natural habitat, find a fallen branch or twig, and dry it out completely.

One must then begin to personally connect with each piece of wood. It is important and necessary to grasp and fully understand how one piece of wood represents of all the trees of the species and is a key to the wisdom of the tree itself.

The Ogham letter representing that tree is then painted or carved on the piece of wood. A full set of Ogham sticks is created once a specimen of each tree is collected and the letter is painted/carved onto the wood.

Once the sticks are made, a ritual is performed with each tree so as to activate connection and initiate a relationship and energetic connection with the dryad for guidance and communication.

After the ceremonies occur, these sticks can then be used as talismen that you hold as you make “Otherworld journeys”, or they can be used as a divinatory tool, “whose meanings are displayed in the way they fall when tossed in the air, or in the order you pick them at random from beneath a piece of cloth” (Balmires). There is no one correct way to use Ogham sticks. It is important to allow intuition to guide the interaction because they are powerful tools used to help communicate with the Green World.

Conclusion:

I am just now beginning to tap into the deeper knowledge and wisdom of the Green World and Tree Spirits. My initiation to the Celtic Tree Calendar and Alphabet is unfolding before me in an organic, self-realized manner. Now that I have opened myself up to the Trees, I am continuously being taught lessons and given insights that was once otherwise unavailable to me.

The sense of loneliness and lack of connection I once felt has disappeared now that I have found the Ogham and reconnected with my ancestral roots.

When I first was introduced to the Ogham, I met with a Doctor of Indigenous Medicine and upon hearing about my new-found connection, she exclaimed to me that she could ‘see’ the Tree spirits and Greenworld literally waiting and knocking on my unconscious doorway of awareness to invite them into my life. Now that I have begun the process of uniting with my Celtic ancestors via the Ogham, my life will never be the same. I am grateful for this reconnection and look forward to it growing and continuing to deepen.

Denell Nawrocki is a Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, Integrative Wellness Coach, Health Educator, and Staff-member of ANFT, where she serves as Blog Editor and Special Projects Coordinator. Her paper “The Effects of Phytoncides on Natural Killer Cells in Human” is used throughout ANFT’s training programs. Denell is the founder of Generative Health where she educates and empowers Women in their body-experiences and encourages a self-healing path. A deep lover of story, Denell couches her teachings in a historical context, and firmly believes in the importance of learning where we came from in order to determine where we want to go. Denell holds a B.A. in History from University of California, Davis and a M.A. Integrative Health Studies from the California Institute of Integral Studies. ​

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Reply

janice M. Johnson

7/16/2017 09:23:51 am

Thank you Denell, this is the first I have heard of the Ogham. Years ago I collected Willow branches from the ground along the Red River in North Dakota, which felt so Sacred. I still have them. I'm going to use the process you describe to connect to the Tree Spirit. I wish there was one for the Redwoods. They are my Passion! Blessings!

Touching a tree can transfer clean energies to you I hear :) also planting your feet in soil works wonders in raising your vibration and grounding yourself!!

Reply

Russell

10/8/2018 02:46:58 pm

I am only now hearing of the Ogham. It is resonating within me. For many years I have been collecting fallen branches and making wooden pens, necklaces or earrings. I also place a crystal in the work somehow. I enjoy the fascination and intrigue when I gift these pieces to people. I will focus more on connecting to the tree in question.
I live in Australia so don't have many of the trees you speak of in the article, but a connection will no doubt be the same all over the planet. Thankyou.